California’s Marin County is rallying around an Inverness family that has experienced a double tragedy that no family should ever have to endure. In January, the Porrata-Powell family learned their 4-year-old boy, Ezequiel Powell, had a rare form of cancer and would spend the next year undergoing chemotherapy and fighting for his life. Just as they were coming to terms with Ezequiel’s Rhabdomyosarcoma, RMS, the boy’s father passed away in his sleep on Sunday, February 2. Roneil Powell was only 43. It’s suspected that he died of massive cardiac arrest.

Ron left behind his wife, Alex, his 6-year-old daughter Yolanda, and young Ezequiel, aka Zeke or EZ, who had just finished his first round of chemotherapy.

Throughout the Bay Area, family, friends and community members are shocked and devastated by this family’s loss and struggles, and are trying to find words to describe how deeply they feel sorrow.

“It’s incomprehensible to all of us,” says Elisabeth Ptak, a close friend of the family and a local artist.

“I have trouble finding the words to talk about it because it’s so absolutely tragic,” says Christian Anthony, who runs the West Marin Feed Facebook page. “We live down the street [from them] and we have two kids the same age as theirs. It’s a tight community.”

“Devastating,” says Siobhan Lucas, who learned about the Porrata-Powell family through a friend. “I want to help but feel absolutely powerless.”

West Marin is coping with an outpouring of support. There was a tamale sale to raise funds and a yoga and meditation benefit at the Point Reyes Dance Palace Community Center. Last night, Osteria Stellina restaurant in Point Reyes donated a portion of its proceeds to the Porrata-Powells.

Several workers at local businesses are donating all their tips: Laura Scott who works the counter at the Bovine Bakery, the workers at Perry’s Deli in Inverness Park, and Joannie Kwit owner of the Pine Cone restaurant, to name a few.

There are plans for a benefit dinner at Sir and Star at the Olema, a concert by El Radio Fantastique at the Old Western Saloon, and a horseback ride at Five Brooks Stables. Several performing artists from Paul Knight to Van Der Maaten to the Haggards have offered to play a benefit show at Toby’s Feedbarn.

“Ron was the sole financial provider for his family and unfortunately did not have a life insurance policy at the time he died,” says Lazuli Whitt, who is helping track fund-raising efforts. ” So our small community here has stepped in in a way that can only be described as deeply moving and profound.”

“Everyone in Point Reyes and Inverness from good friends, to neighbors, to colleagues to those who only know them from seeing them at the post office have stepped in to either donate money personally or raise money to donate,” Whitt adds. ” It is moving to see those donate who need the money themselves.”

“Along with the entire West Marin community and anyone who knew Ron Powell, I am in complete shock and utterly heartbroken for this family,” Green wrote. “Ron was an incredibly kind person, with a beautiful smile and he was truly loved by everyone.”

The community is also doing little things to help the family with the day-to-day needs. Friends are taking turns driving Yolanda, who goes by Lu, to her Spanish immersion elementary school in Petaluma.

In December, Zeke started complaining of stomach aches and suffered from constipation. Nobody knew what was wrong, but it didn’t seem serious until he reached a point where he couldn’t walk. Doctors discovered that the boy had Rhabdomyosarcoma, RMS, a cancerous tumor of the muscles that are attached to the bones. While extremely rare with only several hundred new cases a year in the United States, it’s the most common soft tissue tumor in children.

Zeke underwent his first round of chemotherapy in late January. After the treatment Alex wrote a posting on CaringBridge, a site for people facing serious medical conditions.

The good news is that he’s feeling much better. I’ve been kvetching about his education and socialization, of course. I’m glad to report that he will be able to be with other children in outside spaces and one on one or small groups if everyone is healthy. The sad news is that he cannot return to Huckleberry Preschool. It looks like we will be undergoing chemo for a year and beginning radiation of his tumor in his pelvis in three months.

Zeke spent two weeks recovering from the treatment in the hospital and he went home last Friday night. Elisabeth Ptak remembers the night well because she picked up Lu from school that afternoon and took her home. When Ron and Alex returned from the hospital with Zeke, Lu was elated to see everyone and wanted to attend a school event that night.

“Ron put her in his lap and started brushing her hair,” Ptak says. “He was such a gentle father. Dedicated.”

Even though the family was in the midst of getting Zeke settled back at home with an array of medical equipment, Ron took his daughter to her school event.

Two days later on Sunday morning, he passed away in his sleep.

Ron worked at Novato-based DriveSavers Data Recovery, which specializes in recovering lost data from hard drives. He started his career in the shipping and receiving department in 2004, quickly acquired new skills and was promoted to a data recovery engineer position in 2006.

“He was truly a team player, had a great sense of humor and a calm demeanor,” says Jayne Angius, director of human resources at DriveSavers.

Ron and his wife Alex met at Dominican University in San Rafael and married after college. Ron got a degree in business; Alex went on to get a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. She most recently worked for the California First 5 program, created to address the educational needs of children ages 0 to 5, but her job disappeared when the program lost funding. Alex was looking for a job before Zeke got sick, but now she needs to put off work and focus on caring for her son. Alex grew up in Tomales Bay State Park where her father was a park ranger for 25 years. “They’re a community-minded family,” Ptak says.

Patk describes Zeke as a beautiful and smart boy who adores Star Wars and especially Yoda. When a friend of the family who works for Lucas Film learned about Zeke’s illness, she gave him a lightsaber.

It turns out the Star Wars sword was a brilliant gift as Zeke needs to build up muscle mass and the boy’s grandfather figured out that lightsaber battles are a great form of exercise.

Tax-exempt donations benefiting the Powell-Porrata family can be made at www.ezpowell.org, or at any Wells Fargo branch by referencing the Roneil Powell Memorial Fund. Please denote “Gift Donation” on your transaction. The Federal Taxpayer ID # for the memorial Fund is: 46-4722983.